Falling into Fall ~ What's Happening News with Farm to Glass Wine Tours

Oh hi friends! 

My fall newsletter is in two separate posts.... you've found yourself in part 2 which is the What's Happening section which I have to admit... you're at a great place already.

But... if you want to see part 1, which was the 2023 Season overview of Farm to Glass Wine Tours, find it here!

Ok now.... here's Part Deux of the news.... wine things with a bit of Halloween and winter happenings everywhere... let's go! 

• My booking system is open already for the 2024 season!  I'm also opening earlier, with tours starting April 19th, 2024!  As I always say, the early bird catches the wine! 
• Looking for the perfect holiday gift?  Or maybe just a gift to yourself?  I just launched e-Gift Cards for the holiday season where you BUY MORE, SIP/SAVE MORE! Buy $100, get $120.  Buy $300, get $350.  Buy $500, get $600 for any Farm to Glass Wine Adventure next season!  You can also combine them and save more $.  I have all the details right here!
• Are you in the Okanagan for Halloween weekend?  Do you like oysters and disco?  Then come to Here and There Wines, Oyster Disco pop-up wine bar at Cannery Brewing in Penticton on Saturday, Oct 28th.  Lisa Weizert, wine curator extraordinaire gave me a sneak peak at the wine list, and it's one you want to miss.  Find tickets here! (See you there!)
• Planning a fall or winter wine tour?  Then I highly recommend for you to book with the always amazing, Nicole Dickinson of Unique Blend Tours who's based in Oliver, BC.  I can't gush enough about how lovely of a wine guide and just amazing person in general she is, and unlike myself she runs all year and can accommodate up to 6 guests!  Fun fact, we can and have collaborated for groups up to 10!.  
• Have you heard of Tatyana's Everyday Food?  If not, you can follow her on YouTube or IG but she came to Naramata for her birthday and then wrote a beautiful article about the region.  She posts AMAZING recipes that I highly recommend you check out.  She might just also be the most kind, loveliest person I have ever met.  Truly.  
• The MICHELIN Guide was back in Vancouver for the 2nd time, and awarded 1 new star, plus a handful of Bib Gourmands.  The icing on the MICHELIN Guide cake (IMO) is that the always stellar, Kelcie Jones of 1 star Burdock & Wine Co and This is Wine School won the MICHELIN guide Best Sommelier of the Year Vancouver award.  If you're in Vancouver and want to take wine courses, make sure to check out This is Wine School.  Though only Vancouver restaurants so far have been rated, don't you think that Elma deserves a star?  I know I do!
• Speaking of Elma, on Sunday Oct. 29th they're doing a special dinner event in collaboration with Roche Wines.  Let Chef Cenk Akkaya takes you on a 6 course culinary adventure, paired with the best of Roche wines to create a party in your mouth.  Find tickets on Tock.  
• The OK Falls hotel is turning into a haunted hotel from Oct. 25th-31st.  It's family friendly from 5-7pm and then gets really scary from 7-9pm.  All proceeds go to the OK Falls Fire Department. 
• Luke Whittall of The Sipsters Podcast & Pocket Guides has been busy!  He's recently released his newest pocket guide, 50 must-try Ontario wines.
• Luke has also published a really well written post touching on whether BC wine has hit it's peak?  I highly recommend you have a read here. 
• Speaking of reading, here's a handful of articles I've enjoyed and wanted to share:
  
  • Do vines have a social life?  Memory? Do they communicate?  Check out:  The Rhizosphere: What Lies Beneath - The World of Fine Wine
  • More and more wineries are being listed for sale.  Do You Have 5+ Million to Buy a Winery? - BC Wine Trends (I'm off to buy a LottoMax but the as one guest worded it so perfectly one day... "If you won the lottery, why would you BUY a job!?") Made us all giggle.  
  • By 2030, the CO₂ emissions of the Australian wine sector are targeted to be reduced by more than 40%. Ummm... this is amazing for the 5th largest wine producing region in the world. - Meininger's International
  • Did you know that wine is made in India?  Check out: Is India the Promised Land for Vintners? - Kathleen Willcox  (Fun fact:  I had an amazing Indian Chardonnay on my last layover in New Delhi and it was because I was celebrating my first "real booking ever" last spring.)   
• Ok you're back from reading those... and need some laughs in your life, right!?  This has ZERO to do with wine, but if you love comedy then you must to find out when the Snowed In Comedy Tour is hitting your Canadian city.  One of my besties, Dan Quinn and crew are back on the road this winter and have a ridiculous amount of tour dates from coast to coast, from small towns to big city.   Nothing warms you up on a cold winter day like some laughs (and maybe a nice glass of red wine).  Pre-sale is happening, save $10 with code: SNOWEDIN
• Have you seen the adorable drunk doodles of artist Maryse Chevriere, aka "Fresh Cut Garden Hose"?  Find her on IG (@freshcutgardenhose), and check out the one on Le Vieux Pin's Syrah.  Not gonna lie... I think it would make for a really cute tattoo!
• Any IMAX lovers here?  Merlin Sheldrake has a movie coming out, narrated by Bjork!!!!  I don't think it's in Canada yet but I'll be one of the first ones seeing it when it is!  It's called Fungi: Web of Life - Here's the trailer!
• Vancouver peeps!  There's a fundraiser for the Kits Yacht Club on Nov 2nd and the evening will be filled with top producers of Champagne and amazing wines from around world that have been curated by none other than the lovely Van Doren Chan.   Besides being the director of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers among many other titles, she also has a dumplings business called Dumpling in a Box and I can confirm that they're delicious!  (Fun fact: We did our French Wine Scholar course together way back in the day!)
• EVs of the future!  I had the opportunity to attend an EV convention show last month and check out some new vehicles that will be coming into our market in the years to come.  I think the most exciting is a VinFast, which is a Vietnamese automotive company that's getting a lot of attention and will be arriving into our market very soon.  Also, there's an Aldergrove, BC company that is making EV busses called Vicinity Lightning EV that I could totally imagine taking large groups around the Okanagan..... if only I had 500-700k.  Hahahahaha.  But how cool is it that a local company is creating these?  
• Do you have an EV and are still paying for fast charging?  In case you didn't know, Journie Rewards (Chevron) currently has free fast charging and word on the street (get it) is that all Chevron's will have these charging stations and I'm seeing them more and more.  The only catch?  Tesla's aren't compatible with them unless you buy a CCS adapter.  I got mine at EVACA in Burnaby and it works great and has already paid itself off in charging.  In fact, I've bought countless after market Tesla products there and they are way cheaper than dealing with Tesla directly.  Go check them out.